The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 36: 181-185, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Malea's diary only recorded things which 'happened to her'. In other words, it only recorded things which directly affected her and how she got through it; there are little to no records about when, where, and what kind of event happens aside from that.

However, even with that content alone, it was possible for me to indirectly infer my future.

[They eventually caught up to us on the 37th floor.]

[If we were captured by them, we would certainly die. However, if we choose to run away, we would be trapped in the 'Eternal Model Box'. We only had two choices. We could either be captured by them and suffer a lot of shame until the day we die. Or we could get locked up in a place where we could neither die nor live, and sleep forever.]

[However, our worries didn't last long. Both Aracelli and I chose to be locked in the Eternal Model Box.]

[And, that day.]

[I was finally able to meet that man.]

[His name was Yoo Seodam.]

[The top ranker was looking after me, who was nothing!]

It seems like I would descend to the 37th floor and meet Malea there.

[My heart was filled with joy and excitement at the unbelievable fact, but at the same time, doubts arose inside of me.]

[Why? Why is he showing interest towards me?]

[He was sitting inside the Eternal Model Box and was waiting for me. The very first word he said after seeing me was 'It's been a while'. But, because I don't know him, I replied with 'Nice to meet you.'. When he heard it, he somehow had a very sad expression on his face.]

It wasn't a very good piece of news. It sounds like Malea and Aracelli had already reached the 37th floor.

"…hmm." Closing Malea's diary in my hand, I raised my head.

Currently, I was standing before the protagonist, Wigen, in front of the 69th floor—the temple of the ancient Mamela civilization—boss room.

"Foolish guy. Are you going to give up everything and go downstairs now?"

"Yes, there is someone I need to save."

"But, I think you'll die before you could even do that…"

Up until now, I had trolled Wigen countless times. Thanks to that, his grudge against me was considerably big and it kept piling up with every passing day. However, the reason I was still alive until this day was thanks to me wandering around all over the place to evade the tower's 'system'.

Wigen was currently on his way to the 70th floor. I was certain that even after this, he would still climb up easily thanks to the help of the fairy.

He currently had six party members, but all of them were different from guys I had seen on the 60th floor. It was so absurd to have new members like him after the 60th floor because starting from floor 60th, communication with the lower floor was cut off.

So, how did he do it?

The answer was simple. It was not Wigen who contacted those from the lower floors, it was his fairy.

I also know which guild Wigen planted on the lower floor to serve as his contacts and errands.

'Wings of Heaven Guild.'

Although Wigen knew that he would be killed by the tower's administrators if they found out about the fact that he was contacting the lower floor after the 60th floor, he couldn't just let Wings of Heaven Guild go as they were essential to his climb. After all, every floor needed 'preparation'.

For example, to attack the boss room on the 51st floor, a rare item called 'Soft Candle'—which could only be obtained on the 24th floor—was needed. It's not essential, but with it, the success rate in attacking would increase exponentially.

I was only able to know this fact because it was written in the diary. But, the fairies in the tutorial could not know about this in advance. They only had information on the floor they were in charge of, so they had to contact the lower floors in case they needed something later on.

That very messenger was Wings of Heaven Guild. It was a win-win deal for both of the parties since Wings of Heaven Guild would benefit greatly from hearing the strategy of high floors from Wigen, while Wigen could attack high floors easily and quickly after overcoming the penalty of being unable to descend after the 60th floor.

But now, on the 69th floor. I was about to go to the lower floor.

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[If you give up right now and go downstairs, you must try again from the 60th floor.]

[Are you sure you will try again from the beginning?]

Normally, even the system wouldn't be this worried for me, I was slightly touched, but it doesn't matter. In fact, the reason I went up to the 69th floor was to scout the terrain in advance so I could lead Malea to the higher floors even more quickly. I had no intention of going to the top whatsoever from the very beginning.

[Challenger Wigen and a party of 6 people have climbed to the 70th floor.]

After confirming that they had gone up, I turned around. However, out of nowhere, a fairy appeared and blocked my way.

-Challenger Yoo Seodam, why are you doing this?

"Oh… because, goodbye! See you later!"

-Aang~ Challenger Yoo Seodam~! Please go up! Yes~? We promise we will treat you well, okay~?

"Why? What did the administrators say to you that you are promising me such things?"

-It's not like that~!

It seems like the fairies had been given something by the administrators because of me. But if I go down, the fairies who were holding on to the 'Yoo Seodam Line' would be very saddened since they were very jealous of the fairies who were holding onto the 'Wigen Line'.

But they shouldn't worry too much. Sooner or later, me and my party would catch all of those fairies as well as Wigen and purge them. Until then, even if their stomach burns, they have to wait quietly. After all, they would be the one who would laugh last.

"Just wait. Sooner or later, I will climb much faster than Wigen."

After saying that, I gave up on the 69th floor challenge.

[Moving to the 37th floor.]

To meet them, I get on the portal.

The 37th floor, the Leaning Tower of Pieren.

[Today's weather was sunny. it's bound to be, because it was always sunny on the 36th floor. No, can I even say that it was sunny? From what I had heard, rain never falls here. Though, as there were no farmers in the tower, I don't think it's important, but it's a bit disappointing. Why? Because my skin is so dry!]

[Today, I ate cookies with plenty of peanut butter for lunch. I couldn't help it because I couldn't buy bread on the 20th floor as Wings of Heaven Guild members were scattered all over the floor. Those damn bastards, really!]

[Do they really resent me and Aracelli that much? Well, I know why they hate us. I heard that their reputation had taken a hit because 40 members of the guild at that time had been beaten up by a challenger from the 10th floor. It's so refreshing to hear that!]

"What are you doing?"

"I'm writing a diary. I should write it down when I have free time."

"Wasn't that what happened on the 36th floor?"

"That's right! Back then I couldn't write it because the situation was so hectic. I'm really fed up with those Wings of Heaven bastards!"

Malea couldn't write her diary every day. However, even if it was delayed by a few days, Malea could easily recall everything that happened vividly and write them down in the diary. She had an amazing talent for memory retention. It even surprised Aracelli, because, on average, humans always forget 40% of what happened last night.

"The more I look at you, the more I become certain that you have a special ability to memorize something."

"Is that so? I don't know. Well, I've been good at memorizing words since I was little. Though, my calculating ability is a little bad… Because of that, my grades were so low."

"…"

Throughout her journey with Malea, Aracelli had taught her about magic out of hobby. Thus, Aracelli was aware that Malea's calculation ability was very poor. She was a person who didn't really fit to be a mage. She was someone who only memorized and improvised. This made her stand out in this tower which was filled with mystery riddle survival games.

"I'm finished. Shall we find a place to sleep soon?"

"Okay."

'Safe zone' wasn't always present on every floor. However, it was a common practice for every challenger to have a place for them to rest and relax.

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Malea, who had become accustomed to setting up a tent, suddenly said playfully as she was about to build her tent.

"Hey, when can we meet?"

"…?"

It wasn't a question directed at Aracelli. It was a question to 'that person'. Though, she was only asking as a joke.

[I'll see you soon.]

"…"

As she swept the ground with leaves, words, which Malea believed to have been written about four months ago, appeared. Malea stared blankly at it before dropping everything she was currently doing and opened her diary to write those words.

[I said 'when can we meet?' out loud to ask 'that person'. Then, he told me that we would see each other soon.]

[By the way, when will we be able to meet?]

At that moment, dozens of footsteps suddenly could be heard in the distance. When Malea looked at Aracelli, she was already dismantling the tent at an unbelievable speed.

'They are chasing us all the way here…'

It was obvious who they were. They were Wings of Heaven Guild members. They had been chasing both of them religiously and seemed to finally notice that they were currently on the 37th floor.

In the past, Malea and Aracelli could slip past the Wings of Heaven Guild because they had climbed the tower by slightly cheating with the help of 'that person'. But from here on, it wouldn't be as easy because their current floor had been discovered and Wings of Heaven Guild wouldn't allow them to climb even higher.

In Wings of Heaven Guild, there were many high-level challengers with level 4 and Level 5 equipment. In other words, there was no room for them—who had just barely obtained level 3 equipment—to fight back.

Fortunately, their current location was inside a dense forest. Thus, they would be able to hide. Moreover, as both Malea and Aracelli were wearing gear related to agility, they became quite agile, making them able to climb trees skilfully.

And as both of them hid on top of a tall tree, the members of Wings of Heaven Guild passed them just a few seconds later.

"It's here! I could see their trace here!"

"Shit. Their footprints disappeared suddenly."

"They could have climbed a tree. Search thoroughly!"

As the members of Wings of Heaven Guild on this floor could be called seasoned climbers, they could easily figure out their hiding place.

Malea bit her lip and jumped towards the nearby tree to escape. But unfortunately for her, she was founded by the guild members in an instant.

"There she is!"

"Get her!"

"Dammit!"

The speed of Wings Of Heaven Guild members on their tail was too fast. It seems like even the rankers on the 50th floor were also chasing after them. The movement speed buff of level 5 boots indeed made a great difference since they quickly shortened the distance.

It couldn't be helped, it seems in order to escape, Malea and Aracelli had to once again exploit the loopholes in the system. Which was, entering the 'Boss Room'. Unfortunately, the boss room was far from the place they were right now. Moreover, they hadn't finished the main mission on this floor just yet.

The other method was…

'…there is nothing but instant dungeons.'

It was a place where challengers couldn't interfere with others challengers because the moment a challenger entered those dungeons, they would be separated by what was called 'server'.

Luckily, such an instant dungeon appeared in front of them, but it was the worst dungeon.

"Why don't you just stop? That instant dungeon is called 'Eternal Model Box'. It's a 'trick dungeon' which you can never get out of once you enter. Do you know how many challengers have died there?"

It was a huge box-shaped dungeon or known by its other name: Trick Dungeon. It was one of the most vicious dungeons to exist in the Tutorial Tower which seduces and devours challengers. Rumor has it that if you clear the trick dungeon, you will receive a huge reward.

"Hahahaha, besides, do you know that the setting for that dungeon is 'eternity'? The moment you enter, you must wander through a dark space without being able to die. Wouldn't it be better to just live with us as our dolls? Looking at what both of you have done so far… I'll just play with you for about 10 years before throwing you away."

Malea's expression hardened. Should she live a life where she couldn't even die while wandering through a narrow and dark space forever, or should she live a life filled with disgrace and die 10 years later?

She didn't like either of the choices. But if she really had to choose between the two…

'Please, this time too…please…'

Malea had no choice but to trust the man who had been protecting her from a place she couldn't see. So, Malea grabbed Aracelli's hand and jumped into the 'Eternal Model Box'.

[Entering the Instant Dungeon 'Eternal Model Box']

Instant Dungeon, Eternal Model Box. True to its infamy as a 'trick dungeon', the very first message which appeared as soon as they entered the dungeon was: [There is no mission in this dungeon.]

Normally, the moment you enter the dungeon, you need to complete a mission in order to get out. But when the mission didn't exist, it meant that you wouldn't be able to get out.

Malea surrendered her back against the gray wall behind her and plopped down to the cold floor beneath. She was able to escape from the Wings of Heaven Guild somehow, but she ended up in this place. Trick dungeons couldn't be completed. It would only end when they died by starving to death or got eaten by monsters.

But this dungeon was different. It was a place that was similar to a prison of 'eternity'. Dying in any way in this place was impossible, so what should she do?

Malea hugged her knees and curled further. The moment the adrenaline from earlier receded, she became completely powerless.

"Malea."

"Huh? Sorry. This happened because of me."

Malea felt guilty towards Aracelli. If she hadn't moved with her, maybe she could have been more active in the Tutorial Tower. Although her power was severely limited, her magic that she occasionally showed was powerful enough to be coveted by many prestigious guilds in the tower and she could use it as some kind of special moves while safely climbing the tower with a reliable party.

In other words, there was no reason for her to be locked up in a place like this for eternity if it wasn't for her decision.

'…'

As Malea plunged deeper into despair, Aracelli only silently stared at her. Being trapped in this dungeon called the Eternal Model Box was definitely a disastrous thing. But it was only so if she had been an ordinary 'challenger' who wouldn't have a way to leave this place.

But Aracelli wasn't worried at all.

"Malea. Can you see that over there?"

"Huh?"

Malea raised her head and looked towards the place Aracelli pointed her finger at. There, she could see an arrow. It wasn't a perfect arrow; it was crooked in many ways as if it had been drawn carelessly. But, as there was only one path in front of them, it wasn't hard to infer what the arrow meant.

Someone was sending a signal for them to go that way.

Malea quickly approached the arrow and scanned it.

'It is very recent!'

So far, every trace she'd found had been written for at least 4-6 months. However, the arrow before her was created recently. She deduced that it was probably drawn today itself.

Malea quickly ran towards the direction the arrow was pointing at. Dozens of arrows were drawn on the cramped hallway, and they were all pointed in only one direction.

And at the end of the path, she could see a man sitting down.

"…"

But he wasn't just sitting there. He was leaning back on his portable chair and reading a newspaper with his sunglasses on. On the table next to him was a red juice with a refreshing lemon attached to the straw, while above him, a giant parasol was providing him with some shade.

"Excuse me?"

Malea slowly opened her mouth as she looked at the unfitting atmosphere around the man.

Then, the man looked at Malea.

"…"

He stared at her for a moment or two before slowly lowering his sunglasses to his nose. His eyes were pure white. A pair of cold white eyes which creates a magnificent contrast with his black hair.

Malea stared blankly into his eyes, and suddenly, someone came to mind.

'He was wearing unusual equipment. It seems like those equipment were [Otherworld Items] which couldn't be obtained from the Tutorial Tower. White armor, black hair and white eyes….'

It was the rumour that spread throughout the entire tower about the appearances of a celebrity known all over the tower. In a short period of time—only a little over half a year since his appearance—many people had seen the person named 'Yoo Seodam', and countless eyewitnesses said the same thing about his appearance.

Malea admired the top ranker named Yoo Seodam who broke through the 60th floor alone. It was to the point she remembered his description better than anyone else. After all, she had been imagining about him.

What kind of person was he, the person who climbed the tower alone?

How can that be possible?

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[He was sitting inside the Eternal Model Box and was waiting for me. The very first word he said after seeing me was 'It's been a while.']

"It's been a while."

[But, because I didn't know him, I just replied with, 'Nice to meet you.']

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yoo Seodam."

[When he heard it, he somehow had a very sad expression on his face.]

However, soon after, Yoo Seodam smiled and got up from his seat. As he gestured, to her surprise, the large parasol, table, and other furniture around him were sucked into somewhere.

Could it be that it was 'subspace' which could only be used by those who had reached the pinnacle of magical engineering? Malea wasn't sure.

Yoo Seodam approached Malea and said in a relaxed voice.

"It's nice to be reunited like this."

'Is it really a reunion? But I met him for the first time right now…' Malea thought so and was convinced that the man in front of her knew her. However, she didn't know him.

'Did we meet someday in the future? If so, what kind of relationship did I have with this man?'

However, amidst all the rampaging thoughts, Malea was certain about one thing. Yoo Seodam—a top ranker on the 60th floor—was the same person who had helped her until now.

The fact that the person whom she admired had been watching and helping her all this time, somehow filled her heart with happiness. Malea bit her lips tightly and stared at the ground beneath her.

What should she say here…

"Well, you are younger than the last time I saw you. You are definitely a young blood right now. When I was as young as you, I was also able to chew some stones. By the way, would you like some raspberry juice?"

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but I don't like fresh things."

"Ah, is that so? What a waste. How about you, Aracelli?"

"Please give me, I want to drink!"

"I'll get you a new one."

"No, just give me the one you drank, Professor!"

"Oh, you know what? I grew the raspberries in this juice myself. Ugh, there's really nothing to do on the 57th floor. When people talk about rankers there, don't they always say, 'The rankers on the 57th floor are fighting in a hellish battlefield'? That was all nonsense. Farming was the main mission there. The current challenger on the 57th floor is probably digging potatoes right now. But since the potatoes there are organic, the taste is amazing, so when you eat gamjatang…"

"Wow, really?"

"…Ah, yes, that…"

…but this man… His image was very different from what Malea imagined.

She had thought that he would be cold, calculative and scary. He would certainly explain everything with his actions alone. And instead of arguing over and over, he would rob his enemy's will with just one swing.

"But you know what? The reason why gamjatang is gamjatang is not because it contains potatoes…"

"Huh, I don't know about that!"

"…"

But, the person in front of her was totally different.

Malea fell into a trance-like state as the image of her ideal Yoo Seodam and the Yoo Seodam in front of her overlapped. And slowly, both the images merged and her imagination was completely shattered into pieces.

"The way to leave this place is simple." Yoo Seodam said seriously.

It was then Malea became aware that even though Yoo Seodam was joking a moment ago, he did not lose sight of the seriousness of the situation. It seems that his joke earlier was his attempt to release the tension in her body, and to smother the gloomy atmosphere.

"…Actually, I wanted to try 'Oh no! I got caught' kind of action here."

"You're going to get into trouble, Professor!"

"…"

Was she wrong? Did he actually enjoy spewing nonsense everywhere he went? Malea had a moment of confusion in her head, but she painstakingly pushed it down as she thought about his positive image.

"Malea, I don't know if you know about it, but Aracelli and I are from another dimension."

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"Yes? I also come from another dimension."

"I don't mean it like that. Most of the challengers in this tower, including you, were dragged by this tower, correct?"

"Yes…"

"However, it's not the case for us. We opened the door of this tower and entered by our own will."

"What? Is that possible?" Malea's eyes widened as she looked at Aracelli and then at Yoo Seodam. She couldn't believe it. In the first place, was it really possible to enter this tower with one's own will? Even though the word 'tower' was used to call this place, in fact, this place was a 'complex manifold dimension' with no doors or windows. There was no way that a 'door' could exist, so how could they do it…

"…"

However, seeing the bizarre things both of them had done so far, Malea couldn't help but believe it. One was a wizard who could easily crush a level 4 challenger even with level 0 equipment, and the other was a great challenger who reached the 60th floor in just half a year.

"And Aracelli's specialty is 'dimensional science'. Do you, by any chance, know about it? It's a required course at the magic school these days. They give four grades."

"Uh, I don't know?"

"Professor, there is no dimensional science curriculum yet in Malea's dimension."

"Oh, is that so? I didn't actually study back then…"

"I thought so."

"…"

Malea sighed. It's exhausting to follow these people's conversations. Wasn't spatial study dead in the first place because it was just a nonsensical science? However, from what they said, it seems like there's a world with a higher level of subject called 'dimensional science'? She could not believe it.

"Anyway, I can easily run through any dimensions, so opening the door to this world couldn't even be considered as a task for me."

"Okay…. However, is that a sufficient reason to explain why you are hugging Aracelli now?" Malea said as she gave him a bothered expression.

As soon as Aracelli met Yoo Seodam, they hugged each other deeply. At first, Malea thought it was just some kind of reunion hug, but after 10 minutes, an hour, and three hours had passed, it was very awkward to see them like that as a third party.

"I am recharging Aracelli's magic with mine. After she gets her fill, we can get out of here."

Saying that, Yoo Seodam suddenly exclaimed as if he just remembered something.

"Up until now, the 'Wings of Heaven Guild' must have been tormenting you, right?"

"Yes… Did you also know about them?"

"I know everything."

Yoo Seodam said in a low voice. Malea shook her head. Now it feels like she knows how to treat this man properly.

"From now on, I will climb the tower with you. Do you know 'bus'? A high-level challenger helps a lower level challenger, that thing."

"Yes, I'm aware of it. But don't the administrators hate this kind of thing? You may not be able to receive protection if you do so."

"You don't need that protection of theirs. You're better off without it."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Anyway, from now on, I'll be with you, so you don't have to worry about those Wings of Heaven Guild. Well, I won't be able to help you on some floors, but don't worry, you will be able to solve it easily."

Malea nodded her head, her heart fluttered at his words. From now on, her real journey would begin. And as long as the Wings of Heaven Guild did not interfere, there would only be one hurdle for her to climb the tower, that would be the challenges.

"And when we arrive on the 56th floor, I will have a nice talk with the guild leader of the Wings of Heaven."

"Yes? Wait! Isn't that a bit too dangerous?"

"Why? They have tormented you so much. When I read Aracelli's letter, their guild leader could be considered as already dead."

"No, it's not like that…"

Is this man serious?

Malea looked into his eyes with that thought in mind. Although Yoo Seodam was someone who liked to joke around, his eyes were currently telling her that he was dead serious about it. In the end, Malea had no choice but to shut her lips tightly.

"From now on, I will bring you to the top. A higher place than that Wigen. To do that, you must get rid of the Wings of Heaven Guild that is getting in your way, okay? You are a talented woman who will rise to the top before anyone else. There is no reason for you to be tied down just because of those people."

"…"

At his sincere words, Malea nodded her head with a firm expression. Then, Yoo Seodam patted her on the shoulder with a relaxed smile on his face.

Moments later, Aracelli separated herself from him and walked towards the wall. She closed her eyes and then chanted a spell. To Malea's surprise, a golden, magnificent, round passage was created on the wall in front of her, showing them the scenery of the outside world.

"Then, shall we go?"

As Yoo Seodam and Aracelli took the lead in confident strides, Malea followed behind them with a smirk blooming on her face.

Somehow, if it was with them, she felt that climbing to the top was really possible.

Malea was someone who was talented in strategizing. She always managed to come up with a strategy or find a solution to solve all the riddles with ease. Because of this, her climb had never been hindered even due to special circumstances.

However, even with her talent, Malea couldn't help but admire Yoo Seodam's way of climbing the tower. He was someone who enjoyed pushing the rules of the tower through 'tricks'.

For example, when they were facing the boss monster 'Kacrium' on the 45th floor.

"Yes? The three of us should have stood there?"

"Yeah."

Most of the bosses inside the tower could only be killed after breaking their 'specific attack pattern'. It's never possible to attack and kill them by attacking them randomly. However, as long as the challengers were able to figure out those 'patterns' it was possible to kill them with only basic combat techniques. Therefore, no matter how many strong players grouped together, they wouldn't be able to kill the boss if they did not have the minimum number of challengers required to beat the boss.

For example, Kacrium was an eagle monster which was proficient in welding electricity and required a total of ten people to beat it. One person would be in charge of aggro dispersion while nine others would be in charge of breaking its pattern.

"Did you know that Kacrium uses 'Electric Blast' at regular intervals?"

"Yes?"

Electric Blast, surprisingly, did little damage if it landed a direct hit on a human. But if the attack hit the ground, it would release a tremendous current that was capable of burning a human to a crisp. Breaking this pattern was easy. The challengers simply had to let three people stand simultaneously on a 'pillar' which would appear somewhere on the map.

When humans stood side by side, electricity would be transferred to the pillar through them, and the pillar would absorb the electricity. If the pillar matched Kacrium's skin color, the boss would receive the same amount of damage it had attacked with.

Of course, it wasn't as simple as that because the challenger had to move from one pillar to the next in accordance with Kacrium's skin colour. But overall, it was still easy. However, since ten or more people were required to defeat this boss, it should have been a very difficult task for Yoo Seodam, who was mainly climbing the tower as a solo player.

"If you use this special 'human lightning rod' made of monster leather, you can absorb and transfer any amount of electricity."

"Ohh…."

By throwing a lightning rod at the right place and sticking it to the floor, Yoo Seodam successfully killed the Kacrium with just three people and was able to break through the 45th floor safely.

It wasn't just that. Every word he uttered, such as 'we were going to climb three floors in a day' or 'we can pass through this boss monster without hunting' shocked Malea. After all, it was common sense that every challenger who climbed the tower must follow the set rules and find a standard strategy to complete every challenge.

But, Yoo Seodam's tricks defied all these common sense. In other words, his tricks were far from 'classy'. That was the reality of a cold-hearted challenger Yoo Seodam who had climbed to the higher floors by himself.

"…I can see why you could climb by yourself."

On the night they conquered the 45th floor, Malea laughed sadly as she ate the special pork rice cake dumpling. While she was looking at Yoo Seodam—who ate with his face almost buried in a bowl larger than his face—and Aracelli—who ate quietly—she suddenly realized that it was a very happy thing to eat with someone.

"Aracelli, if you want, you could easily be a chef!"

"Um?"

Aracelli never spoke with food in her mouth. It seems like she did it to be polite. She was so good at cooking that she managed to create something amazing despite Yoo Seodam's bizarre request to add pork to her rice cake dumpling.

She was skilled with magic, her personality was good, her appearance was top-notch, and she could also cook. She was skilled at almost everything. She was extremely knowledgeable and very considerate. She was such a talented beauty that it was easier to count things she could not do rather than things she could do.

"Marry me! Aracelli!"

"I can't!!"

"It's a joke, it's a joke."

Malea chuckled as she saw Aracelli wrap her arms around her chest with a genuinely troubled look. She always gave such cute reactions that Malea could not help but have fun teasing her.

At the same, Yoo Seodam looked at Malea with a strange expression on his face. In his mind, he was sighing as Malea probably wouldn't ever know that Aracelli was older than her.

"Now let's go to sleep. We are going to the 46th floor early tomorrow morning. It's pretty difficult here. There are a lot of areas I can't help with, so you have to work things out on your own. But don't be nervous."

Malea smiled as she looked at Yoo Seodam who looked like he was worried about her well-being.

"Because I know how to do it, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

So far, Yoo Seodam had tried to help Malea numerous times, but most of the time, Malea could overcome the obstacle on her own before he could even help her. He couldn't help but acknowledge her. After all, half of the strategies he devised came from the thoughts of Malea who was from the future.

"Then see you tomorrow."

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Yoo Seodam spoke as he crawled into the tent with Aracelli right behind him. Seeing a man and a woman sleeping together, Malea used to worry that something would happen in the middle of the night. But the two of them were really just hugging and sleeping honestly. It seemed that they were satisfied just with each other's presence.

Malea lay her body in the sleeping bag inside her tent. While sleeping like this, she could not help but crave to see the stars. However, in this place, she couldn't do so. The stars were hidden because of the ceiling of the tower. When was the last time she saw stars? She couldn't even remember.

'I want to see the stars again……'

She closed her eyes and imagined numerous blinking stars on her head. She counted every single imaginary star on her head, before she finally fell asleep.

The next day, when she opened her eyes, a lot of things had changed. It was because the guild master of Wings of Heaven Guild, Alfly, visited their camp together with twelve level 5 members.

"… Yoo Seodam, it has been awhile."

"Oh! The crying guy from the 10th floor has really grown up! By the way, why did you bring twelve bread shuttles? Is one in charge of pizza bread while the other is in charge of cream bread?"

"Don't be rude. Now, I'm a full-fledged guild master."

"Full-fledged guild master? I'm pretty sure you'll freaking out again soon. It has been a while since we met, should I remind you of what happened in the past?"

When Yoo Seodam raised his fist, Alfly flinched for a moment before he smiled. He knew that Yoo Seodam wouldn't be able to stand against Wigen who had already passed the 70th floor. That fact alone would become a strong shield for Alfly.

"I come all the way here to say this, Yoo Seodam, hand over those girls to us."

Alfly said as he glared at the girls behind Yoo Seodam with bloodshot eyes. Malea was standing nervously while Aracelli did not even bother getting up from her seat. She continued to eat a piece of bread without paying any mind to Alfly's words.

"Those two women have humiliated our guild. We want our right to vengeance. You are familiar with the 'Law of Vengeance', right?"

There were numerous 'laws' in the giant tower. It was a law made by humans, not by administrators or fairies. A law created by challengers to protect themselves within a tower which was filled with malice and chaos. As a result, there were many ridiculous laws… Most of them were laws which existed for the strong to bully the weak.

Just like right now.

Yoo Seodam simply smiled at Alfly's words before looking at the sky above.

[Currently, the protagonist is attacking the 74th floor.]

['Ending' is not far away!]

[Hurry up and hunt the protagonist!]

Wigen was definitely strong. He entered the tower as an 'irregular' with monstrous talent, so even without any equipment, he could still show tremendous power.

If Yoo Seodam had a fair one-on-one fight against Wigen, who had reached level 7, based purely on strength, Seodam would certainly lose.

But, was Alfly aware that Wigen couldn't come downstairs?

If Wigen decided to come down while challenging the 74th floor, he would have to start again from the 70th floor. He wasn't a great person who would take such a loss just to take care of Wings of Heaven Guild. His mind was set on moving forward for his own interests, and Wings of Heaven Guild were merely tools for him that would help him achieve those 'interests'.

"Well… Since things have come to this, it's even better. Since, I was just about to search for you."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean by 'what do you mean'? The time has come."

At that moment, a system message, that was only visible to Alfly, popped out in front of his eyes. This method of communication using the 'system message' was a 'cheat' given to Wings of Heaven Guild and Wigen by the fairy.

[Alfly. Go down to the 34th floor right now and get the 'Plant Fossil'.]

[I also need Bon Jaeger's 'Rusthorn Horn' on the 41st floor and the 'Dry Well' on the 19th floor, so prepare all of it and send it to me through the 'Tutorial Express Mail'.]

[That's all.]

Wigen, who had reached the 74th floor, was in constant need for 'materials' from the lower floors. Those materials were essential for him to carry out the 'hints' he received from the tutorial fairy.

Unlike Yoo Seodam, who climbed the tower using tricks, Wigen was able to break through all floors with ease by using these cheats.

"Hey, wait a minute… Can I do it later?"

Alfly bit his lips tightly. How could he just leave when his targets, whom he had found after much trouble, were finally in front of him?

[No! Get those items right away. You have three hours.]

"Ca…can't you delay the attack a little?"

[Since when did I have to look after you?]

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"…!"

In the end, Alfly was just an errand boy who had to deliver materials Wigen needed to climb the tower. He was nothing more, nothing less. Although Alfly was also well aware of this fact, he tried to avoid reality. He had done many things for him so far, so he had hoped that one day Wigen would understand his situation and help him.

However, since Wigen was a man who pursued only his own interests, in the end, an errand boy was only an errand boy, and if Alfly did not listen to him, Wigen would force him to do it through a high-hand approach.

"Ugh…"

And because Alfly was well aware of the fact, he had no choice but to step away now.

"You are lucky… I've got some work to do now, so I'll come back next time. Be prepared."

"Really?"

Yoo Seodam said so with a grin plastered on his face and put one of his hands on Alfly's shoulder.

"But… I don't think I ever said that I would let you go?"

"What did you say?"

"I have to hold on to you, because by doing so, Wigen will be in a lot of trouble."

"…!"

Originally, this was something Yoo Seodam planned to do once he arrived on the 56th floor with Malea and Aracelli. However, now that Alfly had come to him with his own legs, there was no way he would let this chance pass just like that.

"So, shall we go on a date or have a little fun together?"

Yoo Seodam raised his fist, and Alfly's face turned pale.

"There is no answer."

Meanwhile, on the 74th floor, Wigen and his party member, together with the fairy in charge of that floor, were staring into the air with anxious faces. The fairy on this floor was one of the fairies who was on the 'Wigen Line' and had taught Wigen everything he needed to do to get through this floor. But they needed the help from the lower floors to execute it.

That was the reason Wigen supported the Wings of Heaven Guild.

However, for some reason, Wigen had lost contact with them.

[Remaining time to attack – 00:09:14]

Only 9 minutes were left from the allotted time to clear this floor. With only that much time left, it was impossible to clear the floor with a normal method, so Wigen used the 'cheat' that the fairy gave him… But, he couldn't even do that now.

[Stigmata of the Cold Ice is puzzled.]

[Stigmata of the Sharp Eagle is angry.]

[Stigmata of the Running Blue Horse is frustrated.]

The number of stigmata or administrators contracted to Wigen right now was as many as 100. They only had one purpose. It was to have the challenger they contracted to reach the highest floor in the most spectacular way.

But now, the challenger they were contracted to was close to failing the challenge without doing anything. It was the most humiliating disgrace that an administrator could face. Wigen's fatal failure would soon result in their 'class' dropping.

Some administrators still wanted to wait, believing that Wigen would pass in some strange way.

[Time's up!]

[Failed to attack the dungeon!]

Eventually, 9 minutes passed and Wigen was kicked out from the floor. All the administrators who were watching him began to get angry. As a result, some of the 'protection' Wigen got from them were erased, and when these 'protection's disappeared, Wigen's expression darkened.

Till now, Wigen had thought that he had completely separated himself from his emotions because he had never felt any feelings whether it be anger or sadness. He had pursued only the most efficient way.

However, by meeting one man, his trust in himself was shattered.

'Yoo Seodam… It is you again…'

If something happened to the Wings of Heaven Guild downstairs, there was no way Yoo Seodam was not involved in it. After all, there was only one person except him in this giant tower that could touch such a huge guild.

'I should have killed him back then.'

Wigen grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly in anger.

'The next time we meet, I will definitely kill you.'

The day Wigen challenged the 74th floor, the contact between him and his supporter on the lower floor, Wings of Heaven Guild, had been cut off. The situation remained the same until now.

With a cold expression, Wigen looked at the butterfly-shaped fairy flying in front of him.

"There's no contact you say?"

-Yes~ We clearly conveyed the contents, but they didn't answer~?

"No way. Alfly, that guy, he will even kill his own mother if I tell him to."

-That's right~ But I don't think he's going to kill himself if you tell him to do so~?

"…"

Wigen was aware of that.

Alfly, the guild master of the Wings of Heaven Guild, was a man without any conscience. He was ready to sacrifice anything for his own benefit, but he valued his own life a lot.

In other words, it could be said that he would easily give up everything and run away if the situation boiled enough to the point where it could threaten his life.

'…Or, did he get caught by that bastard, Yoo Seodam?'

Yoo Seodam was not as strong as him, but nevertheless, he was still strong. As a ranker in this tower, he could easily rule like a god in the lower floors. If he really caught Alfly and threatened him, it was quite natural for Alfly to cut off contact with Wigen in order to save his own life.

It's really troublesome.

-Uh, what should we do?

The fairies on the Wigen line looked at Wigen and the butterfly fairy with worry. Even now, the managers must be watching over this place. They were sending messages such as 'Why aren't you taking on the challenge?' every now and then.

However, without the help of the Wings of Heaven Guild, it was difficult to challenge the upper floors. In order to use the 'cheat', it was necessary to procure materials from the lower floors.

But descending also wasn't the option, it's too much of a waste if he did so. Once he descended, he would have to try again from the 70th floor. Rather, it would be better to just head to the 75th floor relying solely on the hints rather than the 'cheats' he received from the fairies.

-Personally, I think it's better to go down and check it out~?

"Nonsense. I don't want to lose everything over something like this."

-Ha, but when attacking high floors, it can be quite difficult~?

The fairy's words were correct. Wigen might seem smart since he was able to see through the fairies' weaknesses, and took advantage of their circumstances to obtain a 'cheat' through a contract, but this ability was not useful for climbing the tower.

The Tutorial Tower tests numerous human abilities such as creativity, agility, originality, understanding, calculation, as well as combat ability and analytical ability to improvise. But, for Wigen, who could only see the reality, and could not perceive this fantasy that was unfolding in front of him, this place was hell.

For example, if someone was bleeding on the floor and a man was standing next to the body with a knife, ordinary people would make a deduction that 'the man with the knife is the culprit!'.

And if they thought further, they would think, 'I must run away from the man with the knife!' or 'I should report it to the police!'

But Wizen had no such ability at all. He did not have the ability to deduce. He could only analyze and process what was happening in the present moment, nothing beyond that.

In the same scenario above, all he could think would be: 'The bleeding man was stabbed in certain areas. He is bleeding this much. He will die within this period of time'.

That's why the fairies in the tutorial presented him with 'cheat'. Their method didn't require any creativity or reasoning, only combat ability.

"No, it does not matter. Let's keep going."

Wigen refused the fairy's words and forced himself to move forward. It was an action based on the probability of the world who was not yet ready to play the scenario of [descending to the lower floor due to the sabotage of the villain, but for the fairy in the tutorial, this was akin to a death sentence.

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-Ah, I see~ Then, let's try it right now…!

Wigen led his comrades back to the 75th floor to challenge it once again.

What will happen next, no one knows.

The Wings of Heaven Guild was an enormous guild that had built up considerable power within the tower. In terms of total number of members, it occupied the first place overwhelmingly. However, as the result of their loose recruitment, many of their members had some personality problems. Even the guild leader had considerable flaws, so it could easily be said that they were not a good guild.

The only reason why no one touched them even though they were rotten was because there were only two people in the whole tower who could suppress the Wings of Heaven Guild by force. And both of them did not even pay attention to the lower floors and only cared about climbing the tower. Thus, no one thought of rebelling against them since the Wings of the Heaven Guild were effectively 'the ruling class' for them. If they made a mistake, they might never be able to climb again.

The same held true for Vigilante, an organization which was in charge of security within this giant tower. The head of Vigilante, 'Anta Airen', was also a challenger on the 57th floor and could be said to be a top ranker, but unfortunately, she could not touch the Wings of Heaven Guild.

"So, aren't you also under a lot of stress because of those guys?"

10th floor, Molendo city.

Yoo Seodam, who came to Vigilante's guild hideout, sat across their leader, Airen. It was natural to have the headquarter of Vigilante on the 10th floor as it had the largest number of residents across all floors in the tower. But ironically, the headquarters of the Wings of Heaven Guild was also located on the 10th floor, that's why Vigilante couldn't exert their full power. So it was natural in a way that Airen's expression was always stiff.

"…Yes."

Airen politely replied to Yoo Seodam. If it was a month or two months ago, Airen wouldn't do something like this, but as of now, Yoo Seodam, who was currently the top ranker on the tower, was a person who Airen had to be polite to. After all, she was clearly aware that the 'laws' they have could be overthrown by just one strong man.

"Hm."

Yoo Seodam was well aware of that [episode]. The story tells about the confrontation between Airen—the leader of the tower's security group—and the protagonist Wigen who caused so many disturbances. However, Airen was publicly defeated by Wigen, and even her guild members were thoroughly trampled by him, making it impossible for her to compete with him ever again.

In other words, the current status of Vigilante was significantly low. How can a vigilante, who wasn't even able to correct one person's action, be trusted to correct others?

"I'll fix it."

"Pardon?"

"I will solve your problem."

Wigen's actions were particularly focused on 'cider'. It was proven by the fact that he breaks countless rules, laws and gentleman agreement inside the tower and advances!

He knocked down all those who stood in his way, and his journey of growing stronger while ignoring the laws set by the manager along with the fairies were filled with cider. It was to the extent that even Yoo Seodam—who had often been exposed to genre literature through the recent trend research—considered his story as refreshing.

Obviously, it was a natural cliché for the protagonist. He's doing well on his own, but someone interrupts him by stating the law? He just needs to knock that person out right away and give him a line like 'I am the law' once, the recommendation and comments section of such a story would certainly be filled with people.

[E/N: comment on our chapters and recommend our novels thank you~]

"Uh, how will you solve it?"

"You know them, don't you?"

Yoo Seodam said so as he pointed towards the girls behind him.

When Airen followed his finger, the two girls who sat quietly behind him slowly lowered their hoods. A familiar face appeared from underneath the robe while smiling awkwardly.

"Ah, Aracelli and Malea…."

"That's right. They are the culprits behind the recent fall of the Wings of Heaven Guild's image who have not been caught up till now."

In other words, their existence was a sore spot for the Wings of Heaven Guild. Because they were the only ones who dared to fight against the Wings of Heaven Guild, who were untouchable until recently, and yet these culprits were still alive.

"Bring them into Vigilante."

"… If I do that, the Wings of Heaven Guild will not leave us alone."

"That's precisely what you should be aiming for. Don't you know how important image marketing is these days? If you add these two people to your guild and declare that you will fight against Wings of Heaven Guild, won't you be able to get the title of 'Guardian of the Law' of the tower again?"

It was definitely an attractive offer. However, Airen thought, if Yoo Seodam could do that, why hasn't he done that yet? Wouldn't it be safer if he did it himself?

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As Airen hesitated, Yoo Seodam took a deep breath.

It really couldn't be helped. The woman in front of him—who was originally filled with confidence and moved with only one belief—must have lost her original spirit after being bullied by the protagonist.

Of course, because of it, there was no sweet potato development for the readers such as a villain who appears once again to seek revenge. It also could be said that the reason that her personality became like this was due to the 'probability'.

However, Yoo Seodam could easily fix that part. After all, he had the ability to twist the force of probability.

"I trained the Wings of Heaven Guild's guild master a bit. While you're doing image marketing, he's not going to disturb you."

"…Is that so?"

"That's right. So, even if I can't come downstairs after I go up to the 60th floor, they won't be a problem for you even if they keep communicating with Wigen."

"Wi…Wigen……!"

Airen thought that it would be too dangerous for her and her guild if a level 7 ranker Wigen intervened.

"Don't worry, he'll die soon anyway. Understand? Keep doing what you're doing. You want to protect the Law of the Tutorial Tower, don't you?"

"I understand."

Truth to be told, Airen had no choice but to believe Yoo Seodam. Sooner or later, the Wings of Heaven Guild would certainly swallow the tower. In order for Vigilante to be able to stand against them, this 'event' was absolutely necessary.

"Then, I'll excuse myself."

After leaving Vigilante's hideout, Yoo Seodam stretched his body, while Malea look at him with anxious eyes.

"Is it okay for us to not stay here?"

"Well, it doesn't matter. After all, the public already saw that we are here. It's enough for you guys to just take off your hoods and walk out from the Vigilante hideout."

"But, why are you doing this?"

To Malea, Yoo Seodam was somehow strange. He acted as if, unlike others, climbing to the top of the tower was not his final goal. Moreover, even though Yoo Seodam was a ranker in the tower, he looked uninterested as he completed the challenges. Rather, he seemed to think of it as simply a game for relieving stress.

"It is difficult to explain why, but……."

After thinking quietly, Yoo Seodam remembered the diary he received from the Future Malea. It was something that could never be shown to the current Malea. Though, the other version of it was currently being written every night.

What was the future Malea thinking while she gave the diary to him? If he himself ever met the person he had been waiting for so long, and that person doesn't remember anything about him… what would he think?

Even today, Yoo Seodam could still remember Malea's end vividly. She passed away with a bitter but happy smile.

But, did she feel really satisfied with that level of happiness? He could've made her a little bit happier.

In the end, these were nothing but useless thoughts.

Yoo Seodam now had to admit that the countless relationships he formed while traveling through many worlds could not be easily cut off. Isn't the case of Aracelli, who had been following him wherever he go the proof of that?

"I just want you to live happily forever."

"Yes?"

When those words left Yoo Seodam's mouth, Malea's eyes bulged. Her expression also turned sour.

"You sound like an old man. Don't make the mood worsen all of a sudden. it's creepy."

"…"

Yoo Seodam let out a dry laugh as Malea crossed her arms and pretended to shiver. Certainly, she was very different from the future Malea. And Yoo Seodam thought he didn't need to explain what happens in the future. She looked so happy right now, as if she was enjoying every moment of her time with them, unlike 'her' in the future.

"Then let's go back. To climb the tower again."

After saying that, Yoo Seodam suddenly thought of Wigen, who must have been suffering right now.

All of his preparations were done.

Now, if he just waits, Wigen will come to die on his own.

Even without the support from the lower floors, Wigen continued to climb the tower. Despite being incapable of thinking creatively, he was still able to do it thanks to his six party members besides him who had climbed to the 59th floor on their own. It could be said that they were capable to some degree. Even though was not at the same level as Wigen himself or Yoo Seodam, they could each at least hold their own weight.

Still, in the end, that did not matter. Starting from the 60th floor, the difficulty of climbing the Tutorial Tower had increased exponentially. Even with so many capable individuals on his side, there was a limit to how much he could climb without cooperating with them properly. The only reason why Wigen was still able to climb the tower easily after the 60th floor was only thanks to the 'cheat' he received from the fairies.

But without the supplies from lower floors, he had to start sacrificing his companions from the 75th floor onwards. The first sacrifice began on the 75th floor. Then, on the 77th floor, he forced two of his companions to jump into a pit of fire. And finally, on the 78th floor, one of his three remaining colleagues betrayed him. He was forced to kill him. And in the process of fighting him, he ended up killing the two remaining colleagues in the process.

Wigen could still remember the resentment in their eyes before they died. However, he only remembered it, he didn't care about it. After all, why should he care about those who had fulfilled their role as meat shields?

And then, he finally arrived on the 79th floor.

Compared to his speed of climbing the Tower till the 70th floor, his speed had decreased considerably afterwards. The difference was like riding a bullet train and riding a horse wagon. A lot of 'administrators' expressed their boredom as they deemed his strategy as ignorant, messy, and dirty. And even after using such crude methods, he still took a lot of time to climb the Tower.

[Stigmata of the Fish in the Northern Sky yawns.]

[Stigmata of the Red Camellia turns its back on you.]

[Stigma of Fraternal Twins shakes their heads at each other.]

But, even after all these notices, Wigen was not fazed. He still thought that it was okay. He believed he could still climb the tower without his party members.

Little did he know that the only reason he could climb the Tower was because he was being supported by the 'probability'.

-Ch…challenger Wigen! You have to go down immediately. You can't stay here any longer~!

"…"

The name of the 79th floor was the Graves of the Howling Wraiths. It was a very unusual stage because the whole floor was a 'trick' dungeon without any straightforward way to clear. It was not completely unclearable though. Wigen just couldn't find it even with the hints given to him by the fairy.

Plus, there was one more reason why this place was called a trick dungeon.

– It's been 3 months already! Soon the 'soul erosion' will start to affect you!

It was due to a very unusual phenomenon called 'soul erosion'. This phenomenon would slowly gnaw at the soul of the challenger the moment they stepped on the 79th floor. Moreover, if they stayed on that floor for a long period of time, the 'soul erosion' would turn into 'soul isolation' which would slowly give the 79th floor total control over their soul. And once the floor gained complete authority over their soul, they wouldn't be able to leave this floor forever.

Even Wigen couldn't resist this phenomenon. Since he had only been here for about three months, the effect he currently felt was only to the degree of hallucinations such as the exit disappearing or inability to read the system messages. But, if it gets worse, he would be trapped on the 79th floor forever. Even death wouldn't be the way out since every death which happened on the 79th floor would belong to the 79th floor.

It meant that he would have to live forever while being tied to the 79th floor of this gigantic tower.

"…."

Wigen realized that he couldn't let it continue like this. So far, he had been able to climb to the 79th floor somehow, but he realized it wouldn't be the case starting from now.

In the end, he only had one option to choose.

"…I will give up this challenge and go downstairs."

He had to solve the issue with Wings of Heaven Guild to secure their support before he could climb the tower properly again. It would take a lot of time, but it was much better than being locked up on the 79th floor forever.

[Are you sure you want to give up this challenge?]

[The challenges so far will be reset. You will have to start over from the 70th floor.]

"Yes."

[Challenger Wigen has given up on this challenge.]

[Teleporting to the lower floor.]

A pillar of light bathed Wigen's body. Meanwhile, a temporary portal opened before him to transport him to another floor. Stepping into it, Wigen suddenly remembered Yoo Seodam, who must have been suppressing the Wings of Heaven Guild downstairs.

If they meet this time, he will surely kill him.

"The Wings of Heaven Guild? It has been a month since they were disbanded. Don't you know about it? Just where the hell did you come from? The rocks?"

"What did you say?"

When Wigen arrived at the 10th floor, he came to know the true situation of the Wings of Heaven Guild. They had already disappeared. And in their place, seven new 'emerging guilds' were created. Each of them was built by a different force. Even though there were so many new guilds, there were no more conflicts because these seven guilds were perfectly balanced as they kept each other in check. On top of it, with such structure, there was no worry of having any guild to monopolize the tower.

Also, Vigilante, the largest organization among them all, was watching over the situation, so no one dared to make a move to disturb this balance.

'Wings of Heaven Guild… is gone…?'

Do they know just how much work he put in order to get them to his side? It wasn't easy to find a man like Alfly—the former guild master of the Wings of Heaven Guild—who had the guts to do whatever he needed to do and to sacrifice everything to achieve his ambition.

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'I have to start from the beginning again…'

However, it wasn't as simple as it sounded. Because,

"Hey, did you hear? Yoo Seodam, who came downstairs and stayed here for a while, chose two new partners and started climbing the tower with them. Right now, he has already climbed up to the 70th floor!"

"I've heard of it. Didn't he form a party with the famous Aracelli and Malea? Both of them are such a beauty, Yoo Seodam is truly blessed."

"What do you mean by blessed? It's only natural! As someone who had conquered the high floors alone, his abilities have already been sufficiently proven. So, of course, anyone will agree to form a party with him."

When Wigen overheard the conversations between the passing challengers, he realized that something was wrong.

'Yoo Seodam… has climbed up to the 70th floor…?'

Already? No… When? Wigen was certain that Yoo Seodam was busy suppressing the Wings of Heaven Guild on the lower floor. But what is this? No matter how strong Yoo Seodam was, Wings of Heaven Guild was the largest guild in the tower, and it would not have been easy to deal with them alone.

"Ah, by the way, Vigilante is surely respectable."

"Indeed… they sure are brave to rally the people to fight against the Wings of Heaven Guild."

The current situation was completely different from what Wigen thought. The guild that he had painstakingly brought over to his side, Wings of Heaven Guild, had disbanded. But it was not because of Yoo Seodam. It was because of a completely different entity, the guild named Vigilante. And Yoo Seodam, who was not at all involved in this affair, was busy climbing the Tower. Moreover, unlike in the past where he was always alone, this time he was accompanied by two unprecedented 'Over-spec Irregulars' Aracelli and Malea.

Wigen's face quickly lost its color. His plan of slowly recruiting and building a new guild or finding Alfly and re-establishing Wings of Heaven Guild could not be executed anymore. He simply did not have enough time to do so as he had made a deal with the fairies and was constrained by the content.

[You must go to the highest floor. If someone else manages to overtake you and climbs a higher floor before you, you will die immediately.]

Right now, he had already given up the challenge on the 79th floor. His current highest floor was effectively the 70th floor.

And if Yoo Seodam was currently on the 70th floor…

'….This is serious!'

Wigen ran towards the teleportation portal with urgent steps. No matter how cold-blooded he was, he couldn't stay unfazed when he knew that death was looming over him.

As he rushed desperately to save his own life, Wigen thought about all the events that had happened up till now.

Back then, when he met Yoo Seodam on the 60th floor, he knew Seodam must have been vaguely aware of the fact that he was receiving some kind of 'help'. No, Wigen was sure that Yoo Seodam knew it. He seemed like the kind of person who was capable of knowing so.

But what about it? Back then, he thought that Seodam knowing about it didn't change anything. After all, Yoo Seodam was someone who climbed the tower alone without any one's help. On the other hand, Wigen could easily climb the tower with the hints he received from the fairies and the supplies he gathered from the lower floors.

And then, when Yoo Seodam was only one step away from conquering the 70th floor, he suddenly gave up and went down while Wigen continued climbing the tower.

Back then, he laughed at Yoo Seodam's foolishness and thought that the title of 'The First Conqueror' was fated to be his.

However…

'Don't tell me… the reason he gave up on the 69th floor and went down… It was for this moment…!'

Yoo Seodam was someone who always had tricks up his sleeves. How much trouble did he have to face to deal with his tricks and schemes? He knew that behind all his seemingly insignificant actions, there was a thorough plan behind it.

But, why?

[You have arrived on the 70th floor.]

"Hah hah, hah!"

Wigen panted before sprinting towards the boss room's stage on the 70th floor.

He was certain that he was not late. He knew that it was not the time for him to die just yet, that he could still salvage the situation. With his prior experience, it was possible for him to clear the boss challenge on the 70th floor and ascend faster than Yoo Seodam.

Unfortunately for him, Yoo Seodam was also aware of that fact.

"Oh, you're finally here?"

In front of the Boss Stage on the 70th floor, Yoo Seodam said as he leisurely sat on his chair and sipped on the drink in his hand. He watched Wigen desperately running towards him.

He had deliberately waited for Wigen to arrive. He wanted to see his face bathed in despair as he got closer to his own death. He also wanted to see the end of the man who had trampled on countless people as well as the man who had created a mountain of corpses just to climb the tower. His achievements had left behind a trail of victims. Yoo Seodam wanted to see the end of such a man with his own two eyes.

"Then, since the esteemed guest has finally arrived……"

Yoo Seodam got up from his seat, turned his back and placed his hand on the doorknob of the boss room.

Seeing that, Wigen sprinted with all his might. He could not believe what was happening in front of him. He did not want to believe it. He did not want to believe that a man that he could crush with one hand had outsmarted him and he would now be the reason for his death. He yelled at the top of his lungs and let out incoherent words from his mouth. Yoo Seodam couldn't hear or understand his words though. And even if he could, he wouldn't care. But oh well… it's already too late for a last word anyway.

"I will challenge the Boss Stage."

When Wigen finally reached in front of the boss room's door, the words which sentenced him to death were announced.

"Ah… Ah…"

[Challenger Yoo Seodam and two other challengers have succeeded in conquering the 71st floor!]

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Malea and her party easily passed through the 71th floor. It could be because of the fact that Malea and Yoo Seodam came up with the strategy to pass this floor together.

After passing through the floor, Malea heard from Yoo Seodam that Wigen, the top challenger and the hidden mastermind behind the Wings of Heaven Guild, had died. She wasn't aware of the cause but she knew that his soul was taken away from within the Tutorial Tower due to the 'violation of a contract'. She was not privy to the details and she did not care to know about them. She was happy as long as she could continue climbing the tower with Seodam and Aracelli.

And currently…

[Stigma of Filthy Lion looks at you with curious eyes.]

[Stigma of the Soybean Stone Statue that You Can't Scratch Even Though Your Ears are Itchy pays attention to you.]

[Stigma of Twinkling Eyes looks at you with twinkling eyes.]

Numerous administrators began paying attention to Malea's party. It was only natural since their way of challenging the floors was completely different from Wigen.

Wigen, who was conquering the tutorial with only 'cheat's, had little to see. But Malea's party was different. Their methods were strategic and creative, and their excellent sense of combat and skills made it fun for the managers to watch them.

The 72nd and 73rd floors were easily breached. On the 74th floor, Aracelli's puzzle-solving skills worked excellently, and on the 75th floor, Yoo Seodam shone brightly with his myriad of tricks. On the 76th floor, it was Malea's amazing way of thinking which revealed the correct method to pass the stage.

But, on the 77th floor, they could barely clear the stage since they had to fight numerous enemies. The 78th floor was cleared through the combined efforts from everyone.

And finally, they arrived on the 79th floor. The Graves of the Howling Wraiths.

"Good work today. Let's go to sleep."

At Yoo Seodam's words, Malea spread out her bed and lay down. Although this place was dark, eerie and filled with the 'ghost' type of enemies that Malea hated the most, fear was something she didn't feel at all. On the contrary, she felt that all of this was fun. After all, she was able to live through these heart-fluttering days together with Yoo Seodam and Aracelli. As long as they were there with her, no matter what the challenge would be, she felt that it would be fun.

They fought together in a life or death situation, quarreled over a piece of meat, and laughed at ridiculous jokes that popped out in serious moments. But at the end of the day, they all still went to bed together and thought about tomorrow.

That's why she could comfortably close her eyes once again today. And when tomorrow comes, she will wake up once again and the companions whom she loved the most would be still there.

But…

The next morning, when Malea woke up…

"Yaaawnn~ where should we attack first today… uhm?"

She realized something was missing.

"What…"

It was because there was no one there except for herself. There was no trace of the tent in which Aracelli and Yoo Seodam used to sleep in. It had disappeared.

"What, what…? Hey, Yoo Seodam! Don't joke around! Why are you playing pranks like this all of a sudden?"

Malea knew that Yoo Seodam liked to play jokes. But he had never played a prank that was too serious and could shake other people's mentality. Moreover, he was aware of Malea's greatest wounds. She knew with certainty that he would never play such a prank on her.

Malea frantically looked around to search for them, but unfortunately, she could not see anyone.

"What is this… Did they go for reconnaissance without me?"

Deep down, a scenario based on their identity crossed Malea's mind. But, she bitterly and desperately struggled to deny that fact.

Malea wandered through the 79th floor alone while muttering to herself to suppress the fear which was slowly creeping within her.

– Hehehe…!

– Hehehehe! Hehehe!

The ghost flew around while staring at Malea with their gleaming eyes. They were terrifying, even more so when they were beings that couldn't be defined by either science or magic. On top of it, there was no way to deal with ghosts in this world.

Holding her wand in her arms, Malea wandered the 79th floor. This floor was much narrower than she initially thought. It took less than half a day for her to complete one full lap of the floor,

However, even after looking everywhere, even after walking through the entire floor, she still could not find a trace of Yoo Seodam or Aracelli.

"What is this … Something is strange…"

She shook her head and immediately called the fairy who was in charge of managing this floor. Now that Malea was among the top climbers of the whole tower, the fairy was more favorable than ever before towards her.

"Fa…fairy, do you know where challengers Yoo Seodam and Aracelli are?"

-We don't know~ They can't be found anywhere~

"Please… Please… Can you help me this once? I promise I'll work harder to climb the tower, so please…"

-Uhm~ Not only you, we are also looking for them~ Both of them just suddenly disappeared~

"What, what…?"

Malea cried. She could not come to terms with what had happened. She refused to believe it.

Yoo Seodam and Aracelli left her… and went somewhere?

"No, no, no, it can't be…." Malea plopped down to the ground as tears dripped from her eyes.

From that day onwards, Malea kept waiting for Yoo Seodam and Aracelli at the entrance of the 79th door.

At some point, the fairy of the tutorial had come to her and warned her, 'It's dangerous if you don't leave this floor,' but she didn't listen to it. She will never leave this floor and climb the tower by herself. She will wait for both Aracelli and Yoo Seodam to come back. Right now, her sole reason for staying alive was to wait for them to come back and climb the tower with them.

However, even after a year had passed…

Yoo Seodam and Aracelli did not appear.